The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, through a communiqué, joins the joy that seizes all the peoples of our Americas for the canonization of Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero, a symbol of dignity and justice, who raised his voice on behalf of the most dispossessed, faced the violence and terrorism of the powerful ones.
Read the communiqué from the Ministry of People´s Power for Foreign Affairs:
The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, on behalf of the Venezuelan people and the Bolivarian Government, joins the jubilee that seizes the Salvadoran Government and people on the occasion of the canonization of Blessed Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez, today October 14, 2018, accompanying the deep devotion that nests in the heart of the dispossessed towards the Bishop and Martyr of the Great Homeland.
Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero is a symbol of dignity and justice for the peoples of Our Americas for having given voice to the voiceless; for his dedication to the cause of the humble ones, defending the peasants, the poor, the workers of his country; for having confronted the violence and terrorism of the powerful ones with his sincere and courageous verb; for having suffered the ordeal and martyrdom for the love of Christ and his People.
His ministry in defense of life led him to relentlessly face the repressive regime. His words were followed every Sunday by a people eager for truth, justice and hope.
In his last homily, on March 23, he pronounced the historic phrase: «In the name of God and of this suffering people … I ask you, I command you, I pray you in the name of God: Stop the repression». The next day he was killed while officiating the Eucharist. His funerals were the true manifestation of the humble people who will never forget him.
It is that same people who made him Holy in the most intimate of their homes, in their songs and murals, in their poetry and art, in their small parishes and grassroots organizations, in their work and study centers, in their corners and squares, in their fields and cities, in their mountains and rivers, in their high blue sky and in their beloved land.
In a time of serious social conflicts and serious dangers to life on the planet, his canonization constitutes an exaltation of the authentic priesthood, the preferential option for the poor, the one that denounces and unmasks the oppressors, the one that preaches the common good and fraternity among human beings.
Therefore, the canonization of Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero is a fact that transcends confessional and religious differences, to become an event of profound historical, spiritual and humanistic significance for the peoples of Our Americas and the world.
Venezuela sends to the brotherly Salvadoran people its words of rejoicing and veneration to Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero, who has become an example and guide for humanity, calling us to face selfishness, injustice and violence, through the path of solidarity, equality and peace.
Caracas, October 14, 2018
